Hazardous Material Emergencies in Railyards: Preparedness Guidance for Railroads and Adjacent Communities

This paper summarizes guidance being developed to improve the emergency preparedness of railroad yards that handle shipments of hazardous materials and the communities adjacent to those yards. As compared to the volume of hazardous materials that pass through railyards, comparatively few accidents have occurred. However, several of those accidents have had severe consequences, and there is potential for truly catastrophic consequences. Thus, the National Transportation Safety Board has recommended that emergency preparedness guidance be developed for operators of railroad yards and the communities adjacent to those yards. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is developing that guidance with the assistance of staff of Argonne National Laboratory.